Thor started out as a concept band in 1973. They used the names "Thor", "Centaur", and "Mikl Body Rock", conceived by
Jon Mikl Thor, a vocalist, musician and body building champion who won titles such as Mr. USA and
Mr. World Canada, with the intention to combine muscle with music. In every show, Jon Mikl Thor would appear as "Thor The Rock Warrior". Thor as "Mikl Body Rock" toured throughout North America seeking to garner enough attention to secure a record deal. The press dubbed them "Kings of Muscle Rock" or "Warriors of Gladiator Rock". In 1976, Jon Mikl met guitarist Frank Soda while touring Canada.
Frank Soda joined "Thor" who also became known as "Thor and The Imps". The band toured constantly in the Eastern USA and Canada region building a large following. The first album was recorded in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, under the name Thor and was called
Muscle Rock. Released by the independent label God Of Thunder Records, the record became a success, and gained the attention of various managers and producers who wanted to sign the act. Jon Mikl Thor was offered a large deal to star in a production at the
Aladdin Resort & Casino in
Las Vegas called 'Red Hot and Blue'. Frank Soda wanted to keep touring with the band, so
Frank Soda and The Imps were formed. Jon Mikl Thor went on to star in Las Vegas and was discovered by
Merv Griffin, who had Thor perform live on the
Merv Griffin Show from Caesars Palace on national television. Thor's performance was a hit, and offers came in from various major labels. Thor decided to sign with
RCA Records in late 1976. This new incarnation of Thor was formed in 1977 by
Jon Mikl Thor and released their debut album
Keep the Dogs Away. In 1986, Thor released
Recruits – Wild in the Streets on
GWR Records. The band would break up in 1987 and Jon Mikl entered the world of acting, starring in such movies as
Recruits (1986, as Thunderhead),
Zombie Nightmare (1987, as Tony Washington), and ''
Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare (1987, as John Triton). In 1999, a selection of songs from Keeping the Dogs Away'' were re-released on a split CD with Ontario metalcore band Coalition Against Shane through 13th Day Recordings. From 2000–2011, Thor continued to record, release albums and tour, building a larger following and connecting with a new generation. Albums released have been
Dogz II (2000),
Triumphant (2002),
Beastwomen from the Centre of the Earth (2003),
Are U Ready (2004),
Thor Against the World (2005),
Devastation of Musculation (2006),
Into the Noise (2007),
Steam Clock (2008)
Sign of the V (2009),
The Guardian (2010), and
Soundtrack from the movie THOR - The Rock Opera (2011). Thor wrote the music for and were starring in the movie
Thor - The Rock Opera. In 2009 Thor performed at the
Sweden Rock Festival,
Sauna Open Air Metal Festival in
Tampere,
Finland and the Muskelrock Festival (named after Thor and The Imps first EP
Muscle Rock) in
Alvesta,
Sweden. On April 30, 2011, Thor headlined the Shock Stock Festival in
London, Ontario,
Canada. The band consisted of original guitar player Frank Soda as well as new additions Joel "Savage" Watts on drums and Sean "Killer" Kilby on bass. Then Thor embarked on a tour of Scandinavia from May 31 to June 7 playing at DOM (The Dome) in
Helsinki,
Finland on June 1, performing their live rock opera and showcasing film
Thor - The Rock Opera; then revisiting the Muskelrock Festival in
Alvesta, Sweden from June 2 to June 4. In January, 2012, a special edition vinyl album called ''Thor's Teeth
was released through the Baltimore-based label A389 Recordings. It was later launched digitally through Chicago based Smog Veil Records in April 2012. Thor signed a multi album deal with Rock Saviour/Pegasus Records in Germany and Frank Soda returned to the studio with Thor to write songs and lay down vocal tracks for albums Thor – Thunderstryke
(2012) and Thor – Thunderstryke II'' (2013). On July 20, 2012, Thor headlined the Armstrong MetalFest at Hassen Arena. In 2014, Thor re-released their 1985 album as
Only the Strong - Deluxe Edition distributed by Deadline Records. The documentary film
I Am Thor, directed by Ryan Wise and produced by Ryan Wise and Al Higbee, had a world premiere in 2015 and toured film festivals throughout the world, winning audience and critical acclaim. The movie got picked up for distribution in the USA through
Dark Sky Films / MPI Media Group. The film won Best Documentary at the
Fantasia International Film Festival 2015 in
Montreal. Thor embarked on a sold out major city tour throughout the USA in November 2015, screening the movie, followed by a live Thor concert. Another tour launched in March 2016. On May 13, 2016, the official reissue of Thor's 1977
Keep the Dogs Away album was released on Deadline Records.
Thor: A Rock Odyssey, a live three part rock concert spectacular, was presented on stage at the Highline Ballroom in New York City on May 14 in celebration of the 1977
Keep the Dogs Away album and to launch the release. On August 4, 2017, the album
Beyond the Pain Barrier was released. The album was co-written by Jon Mikl, John Leibel and Ted Jedlicki. Prior to the album's release the single and video for "The Calling" was released. Also in 2017, drummer Tom Croxton was added to the lineup. Croxton is a veteran of the music scene, notably for his long tenure in the shock rock band, Impaler. In September 2019, Matt Hamilton, a member of Croxton's other band, Hex Vortices, joined to help solidify the space left by McNallie's departure earlier that year. On July 16, 2021, the album
Alliance was released, Thor's 39th studio album.
Alliance features 17 tracks, as well as guests, including W.A.S.P.'s Chris Holmes, Raven vocalist John Gallagher, Soilwork singer Björn Strid, Danko Jones, Anthrax's Neil Turbin, Ross "The Boss" Friedman, and numerous others. The album's first single, "The Ultimate Alliance", written by John Leibel and Jon Mikl Thor, includes a video that released on June 9, 2021. The song features guitar solos from Chris Holmes, Ross the Boss, and John Leibel as well as the vocals by
A Sound of Thunder singer Nina Osegueda and
Lords of the Trident frontman Fang VonWrathstein. In 2018, Thor teamed up with producer, songwriter, musician, and performer Kevin Stuart Swain to make the album
Christmas in Valhalla, and later on
Hammer of Justice (2019),
Rising (2020), and their latest release
Alliance (2021) for the Los Angeles based
Cleopatra/Deadline Records. In October 2021, Thor released a 2D animation video for the single "Queen of the Spiders", which is featured on
Alliance. == Line-up ==